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Wednesday November 21, 2007

Bob Geldof wants to erase the memory of Michael Hutchence by adopting his daughter Tiger Lily and changing her surname – says the late singer’s sister.

In an exclusive interview Tina Hutchence, 59, says her family are devastated the Live Aid hero wants to adopt his love-rival’s child.

“It’s not enough that he should have Tiger Lily but finally he thinks he should adopt her and change her name,” Tina says. “She would be a Geldof girl.”

As the 10-year anniversary of her brother’s suicide approaches in November, Tina says their mother Patricia Glassop is distressed by the developments.

Geldof’s lawyer Tim Bienias informed Australian-based Glassop in a letter dated 3 September 2007.

Tina says her mother, who is in her 70s, is so distraught she calls her several times a day.

“Mother’s distressed,” says Hutchence, who lives in Reno, Nevada in the US. “In seven years he’s given my mother just four days of supervised visits.

“None of the rest of us have seen Tiger – only my mother with the nanny.

“And you know what the interesting thing is? Bob Geldof is patron of a charity called Grandparents Apart – it’s a charity for grandparents who don’t get to see their grandchildren.”

Tina adds: “Mother begs him every couple of months. She sends Bob letters saying: ‘Look, I’ll pay for the nanny to come too’.

“My mother can’t travel like that any more. She’s not well and her husband Ross, he’s on Warfarin [medication that thins the blood] so he can’t take a flight more than two hours.”

Speaking just weeks before November 22 – which a decade ago was the day her brother was found hanging in his hotel room in Sydney, Australia – Tina says: “Isn’t it interesting timing?

“If he wants to put the maximum pain on the whole thing, why not take the child completely?”

Tiger Lily, now 11, has been living with Geldof, 56, and her three half-sisters Fifi Trixiebelle, 23, Peaches, 18 and Pixie, 16, since their mother Paula Yates died in September 2000.

He was awarded legal ward-ship of the child the following December even though both Tina and her late father Kell Hutchence also separately applied for custody. But seven years on Geldof plans to become her adoptive father. In the letter to Glassop, his lawyer wrote:

“Tigerlily [sic] has now been living very happily with Sir Bob and her three half sisters for almost seven years (since 17 September 2000) and she considers them very much her family. Consequently Tigerlily [sic] has expressed to Sir Bob her wish (very much to his delight) for him to legally adopt her as his daughter.

“I am writing to let you know that my client has issued adoption proceedings in this country in respect of Tigerlily [sic].”

The letter goes on to say: “Please be assured that the adoption of Tigerlily [sic] by Sir Bob will not affect the role which you have played and will continue to play in Tigerlily’s [sic] life.”

Tina Hutchence scoffs at the last sentence saying: “What role? He already has her at his home; we don’t get to see her.”

For Tina – who herself was adopted by her mum’s second husband Kell Hutchence – adoption means a change of name.

She alleges that Tiger Lily told her grandmother during a rare four-day 2006 visit that Geldof wanted her to stop using her father’s surname.

Tina says: “Bob took Tiger Lily with him to Australia last year when he was on a show. It was a surprise. He didn’t even tell Mother ahead of time.

“When she picked Tiger up she had to sign a contract. When she had her, Tiger said to my mother: ‘Bob tells me I should say my name is Geldof and I don’t like that’.

“And Mother said: ‘You don’t have to use that name Tiger. Hutchence is your name and it’s an unusual name. It might do you well some day’.”

Tina agrees, saying: “In my opinion, if she wants to sing, the Hutchence name would do her better.

“Honestly, come on. How long ago was the Boomtown Rats?”

It is this conversation about the change of surname that makes Tina doubt Tiger Lily asked Bob to adopt her.

Hutchence says: “A kid doesn’t just come to you and say: ‘Will you adopt me?’”

She is also annoyed that Bob allegedly didn’t call either her or her mother to tell them what he planned to do.

“Mother was kind of stunned and didn’t do anything at first,” Tina says about the day Glassop received the letter.

“She was so angry and upset. What we feel the court should be talking about is visitation.”

Instead Bienias’ letter told her the social worker that was preparing a court-requested report “may contact” her “in due course”.

When the social worker called Mrs Glassop, it was in the middle of the night, Australian time.

“Mother wasn’t really together,” Tina says. “But she did the best she could.

“The social worker just asked Mother what she thought about the adoption proceedings: ‘Was there anything she had to say?’

“My mother said she wasn’t very happy about the fact that she never gets to see her granddaughter.”

Tina says her mum “sited incidences when we were supposed to see” Tiger and Bob allegedly “took her out of the country specifically when he knew we were coming.”

“Mother did try to call Bob to talk about the adoption but her number is blocked.

“She didn’t find that out until she spoke to someone at BT.”

Heartbroken Tina knows what she will say to the social worker when she calls.

Reading through notes she has jotted down, she says: “I want to impress upon her that this is what concerns me about Tiger.

“I feel she’s missing out on a wonderful relationship with her grandparents and on relationships with aunts, uncles and cousins.

“But particularly with her grandparents; they’re not getting any younger.

“You get a lot from your grandparents. Grandparents are your historians and I think they are extremely important.

“I was partially raised by my grandmother and I have some wonderful memories of being with her. Tiger doesn’t have this.”

Tina says she has proof her niece wants more contact with the Hutchence family. Recounting the events of the child’s visit with Glassop, she says: “She walked around Mother’s house asking about all the photographs.

“At one stage she said this funny little thing. She said: ‘Now I know who my family is’,” Tina claims.

“There was one photograph of Michael there. Tiger sat down next to it and she wrote a sweet little note saying ‘I love you Daddy’ and she put it in the corner of the photograph. It just breaks my heart.”

Glassop also claims that, not only did Tiger enjoy the brief visit, she said she wanted to see more of her grandmother.

The mother of three told an Australian TV news show: “She [Tiger] rang here five nights in a row when she went home, begging to come to live with us but Bob, of course, wouldn’t let her.”

Tina is concerned about the effect this alleged drawn-out separation is having on her mum who has one other surviving child, Rhett Hutchence, 45.

“My mother lost a son – very publicly – which never goes away.

“Now she’s virtually lost a granddaughter. Her feeling is that when it’s time
for Tiger to make her decision to travel to come to see her, will she still be alive and how old is she going to be?”

Tina is the mother of two – her daughter Erin, 29, and son Brett, 24. She says: “The one thing about my children is they spent a lot of time from when they were born with Michael.

“They remember many vacations, shows and times he would stay at our house.

“They had a great relationship with their uncle. Tiger needs contact and bonding with these two kids because they can tell her so much, but when?

“If her father were alive he would be so sad to think his daughter doesn’t get any contact with his family. He would never let that happen.

“He was an extremely sensitive and private man when it came to family. He used to fly us all over the place and call these family vacations together that were wonderful.

“Tiger had her first birthday at my house and he organised that. But how can Tiger know her family? “How can she know that we love her – that we care for her – if we never get to see her? If she never gets our letters and if we can’t e-mail?”

Tina says that in the past seven years her limited contact with Tiger Lily has mostly been through the child’s nannies one of whom allegedly told her she found many of the letters on the floor of a closet in the Geldof home.

Two years ago, Hutchence claims she even asked the humanitarian if she could contact her niece via e-mail. Incredibly she alleges Geldof told her: “I don’t have computers in my house.”

She says: “It’s so condescending because I’m sitting there thinking: ‘There are teenagers in that house and there are no computers?’”

Tina says that, despite raising her children in the US, they have maintained a good relationship with their grandmother who lives in Australia.

“They’re on different continents but between sending them out for two weeks on school vacations, having my parents coming here, sending letters, e-mails and photographs…

“Most people do this. It’s very natural. You want people to say: ‘Oh, look how she’s grown’.”
Instead, Tina says she has only received four photographs of her niece since she has lived with Geldof.

“The four photographs that I have of Tiger were sent to me from the nanny and they had disclaimers over them saying they were copyrighted.”

Tina also claims: “His girlfriend sent one through the nanny. It was a tiny, postage stamp size photo of Tiger with Santa Claus. “This was when she was about six and again it said ‘copyright’ across it.

“What am I going to do with it? That’s insulting to me. I haven’t sold anything.

I could have sold plenty of things with Michael. “I know this is the way they live as celebrities. Peaches is like her mother. “She sells herself on being outrageous and that’s how she makes her money – being famous for being famous. Real people don’t do that.”

In contrast, Tina claims Geldof was far more accessible in the months after her brother’s death and when he was fighting Paula Yates for custody of their children.

She says: “The first contact I had with Bob was three months after Michael died and I contacted him through his attorney.

“He called me back in 15 minutes and we had the longest conversation.

“At that time I felt as if he wanted me to say: ‘It wasn’t your fault even though yours was the last phone call Michael had before he killed himself’.

“Then he was telling me about all his problems with Paula because at the time he was trying to get custody of their children.

“He kept calling me and questioning me.

“With Bob I think he must have everything his way. I know there are people like that and I honestly think he was hoping that I had some information that might help him.”

For Tina though, the saga of the Bob, Michael and Paula love triangle is in the past and doesn’t concern her. Tiger is her primary thought. She says she doesn’t hate Geldof, she just doesn’t understand him.

“What are his intentions?” Tina asks. “I think he is a megalomaniac. I think he’s like: ‘Let’s change her name now. Let’s take the rest of what Michael ever had’.

“When you adopt somebody they take your name. That will be the finish of it. He will never have to go to court again. He will get control of Tiger.

“Why should he? Tiger is not his child? Tiger is Michael’s child. Michael has died and that’s his legacy.

“Tiger is part of his legacy. That’s it for Michael.

“So what is Bob doing? How much does he want to punish Michael for having a child with his ex-wife – his ‘ex-wife’ by the way?”

Tina alleges that Geldof – who was knighted for his charitable work – has little sympathy for the Hutchence family.

“My mother’s heart is broken. His heart goes out to all these people in Africa. What about at home?

“I said to him seven years ago: ‘How do my parents get to know Tiger? That’s so far away. That’s unnatural. You and Michael weren’t exactly friends.

” ‘You publicly distained him. How does my mother have a relationship with her granddaughter? His exact words were: ‘That’s her problem lu-r-ve. My father doesn’t get to see them either!’

“And he’s patron of Grandparents Apart?

“I don’t know what else to do. I don’t think anybody really listens to us because he’s the great Bob Geldof, so what have I got to lose by speaking out?

“At least I can have my say. If I can embarrass him into allowing us to have contact with Tiger, fine.

“I’m frustrated and angry that he can’t even pick up the phone and say: ‘This is what I’m about to do’. Not even that!”

For Tina the timing couldn’t be worse. A decade ago she lost her brother and now she faces losing her niece too. Although she has been bombarded with interview requests from news organisations all over the world – including the BBC – she has turned them down for this exclusive heart-to-heart.

She says: “It’s very hard. Most people when they lose someone they don’t do this anniversary thing. I’ll grieve the rest of my life.

“Most people won’t notice it but I will have moments that I need to be by myself. It’s very emotional for me.

“It’s different for the fans. There’s a big tribute concert happening in Australia.

“I support them and I think it’s lovely. But I have to do something private whether I’m with my mother or I’m here with my children.”

On November 22 – which is also Tina’s birthday – she will be thinking of her brother Michael in happier times. She will remember his “husky laugh” and “the way he’d throw his arms around you giving the best huge, crushing hugs.”

If Michael were alive today he’d be 47 and Tina says she knows what he’d not be doing – performing at concerts.

“He talked about that a lot,” she says. “I think he would be acting. He really loved acting. And, of course, he’d still be looking fabulous.”

In the meantime she has approached production companies to help her make a biopic about Michael.

And she already knows whom she would cast in the lead role – Adrien Grenier who plays Vincent Chase in the US TV show Entourage.

For Tina no one can replace her baby brother but seeing his daughter might help ease the pain.

She says: “If Bob said that he’d let us see Tiger I’d be thrilled.

“I’d say: ‘Let’s start over. Let’s really make this a family because it’s the best for her and it’s in her best interests’.

“That’s what I want for Tiger – what’s in her best interests. It’s what her mother would want and I know it’s what her father would have wanted too.”